الفهرس 
Structure of the Nail UnitOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Nail disorders comprise approximately 10% of all dermatological conditions and affect a high percentage of the elderly.
Senile changes in the nails are thought to result from impaired peripheral circulation, commonly due to arteriosclerosis. Although nail plate is an efficient sunscreen, UV radiation may play a role in such changes. Trauma, faulty biomechanics, infections, concurrent dermatological or systemic diseases and their treatments are also contributory factors.
Nail diseases are distinct from diseases of the skin. Although nails are a skin appendage, they have their own signs and symptoms which may relate to other medical conditions. Nail conditions that show signs of infection or inflammation require medical assistance and cannot be treated at a beauty parlor. Deformity or disease of the nails may be referred to as onychosis.
Geriatric nail diseases may include: onychia, onychocryptosis, onychodystrophy, onychogryphosis, onychomycosis, onycholysis, onychomadesis, onychophosis, onychoptosis, paronychia, koilonychia, subungual hematoma, onychomatricoma, nail pemphigus, erythronychia and melanonychia.
The prevalence of onychomycosis increases with age and reaches nearly 20% in patients over 60 years of age. Onychomycosis has been reported to be more common in elderly women than in elderly men.
Captopril has been described as being capable of inducing reversible onycholysis. There has been a report of a lichenoid skin disorders eruption with, ageusia and nail dystrophy with lichen planus-like features in a patient with renal failure treated with captopril.
Nail disorders have been reported to occur in approximately 71.4% of uremic patients. The most common disorders being: half and half nails, absent lunula, and splinter hemorrhages.
The prevention and management of these conditions require periodic cutting of the nails and appropriate medical care. Unfortunately, these are difficult for the elderly because of thickness of the nails, difficulty in accessing the feet, poor vision and sometimes, lack of motivation for personal care.
The purpose of this study was to study different nail disorders and to see the risk group and the causes of nail diseases in relation to the age, sex, duration, underlying systemic diseases, drug intake and others.
Hundred patients were taken from the outpatient clinic of Ain Shams University and El Maadi Army Hospital, where a full detailed history was taken from them and they were all pictured and examined.
We found that there was a relation between housewives and rural areas where these groups showed the highest nail disorders. Onychomycosis was present in many cases and there was a relation between higher ages and onychomycosis which reached 20% in patients over 60. History of trauma showed a great importance as being an underlying cause.
Our study concluded that nail disorders might be an important key in the diagnosis and in referring to an underlying systemic diseases and that we should focus on the nails of the geriatric group during examination and give instruction for them on how they would deal with them more carefully to prevent some of the diseases that might occur in this age.
There was a significant relation between the disease distribution and sex, occupation and residence. There was also a significant relation between nail diseases and drug intake as onychomycosis and treatment with insulin and valsartan. There was also a significant relation between trauma and diseases in the nails.
Our suggestion in the future researches is to study the effect of ultraviolet rays on nails and to see the effect of different treatment on nail disorders. Recommended further studies on a bigger number of patients to increase the reliability of such findings.